Flower Petals
by Girls In White Dresses
Summary: He's nearly speechless when she's there.


**Another Byakuya and Hisana fic... :D **

**I actually like the new filler arc for Bleach... I guess I'm happy that it's going to be a long time before Bleach ends... and Byakuya looks so hot! "There can be only one head of the Kuchiki clan."**

**"...I am the true head of the Kuchiki clan!"**

**Hee hee. OK, on with the story! (Read and Review please!) **

He brushes a strand of hair out of her face ever so gently. "Hisana…" Her beautiful eyes are full of sorrow. "I'm sorry, Byakuya…. I….I'm from Rukongai. The 78th district. And you… you are the next head of the Kuchiki clan. We can't even see each other anymore." She smiles a sad smile that shatters his heart, the setting sun casting soft golden light, illuminating her features. The sakura petals are falling, floating gracefully to the ground. He's never felt this way. He's never been in love. He reaches out to her, wishing he could say something-anything-but like always, he's nearly speechless when she's there. She's so beautiful. So fragile. He's in love with her, but those feelings mean nothing now. She's gone…. His hands clench and unclench, wishing it was different, that the rules were different… and for the billionth time this night, he wishes he could say one thing:

_I love you._

_**...x...**_

She closes the door and slumps against it, in the darkness. She's known from the start that it was impossible. But she thought she could have her dreams, at least. Every time she looks at him… she didn't deserve this. Why would a noble like him even stand to look at her? She's unsightly, a weak girl with no courage. Why? She's absolutely worthless. She hates to admit it, but she knows… that in a way those noble girls were right.

_He can do so much better._

_She should go back to the filthy_ _hole that she came from._

_She's disgusting and horrible. Rukongai trash…_

Their taunting voices fill her mind, the high confident voices reverberating inside her head. She trembles, alone in the world, refusing to listen to her heart.

"Kuchiki-sama! As the 3rd seat, you have been chosen as the leader of a group to go and investigate the disappearance of our 9th seat in the world of the living." The vice-captain of the 6th squad, a small, balding man looks at him seriously, eyebrows raised. Byakuya nods, showing no emotion. He wonders if maybe he should decline. All he can think about is Hisana.

Hisana.

Hisana.

But he must do his duty as a soul reaper, and a noble.

Black and pink butterflies flit around him as he steps through a senkaimon onto a steep roof of a house. His squad members glance around, chattering excitedly. He doesn't have great leadership skills- but they're always willing to obey his every order. His mind is somewhere else right now, remembering her smile and her laugh, and all the times they spent under that huge sakura tree. It isn't until one brave squad member clears his throat nervously that Byakuya forces himself to focus on the task at hand. "We'll just have to wait for any suspicious activity. For now, we'll-"

The air ripples and the skies break open. Three horrific creatures emerge, faces covered in bone white masks and heads too big for their bodies. His squad members recoil in fear. "Take care of those hollows!" He commands.

"Yes, sir!"

He draws his sword, the blade glinting almost evilly in the moonlight. More hollows emerge, their expressions leering. They're completely surrounded. "Scatter, Sen-" A hollow lunges at him and he flash steps away, catching a glimpse of the hatred in the depths of those empty eyes. "Kuchiki-sama! What do we do? There are too many of them!"

All too suddenly, the hollows disappear. All of them. The squad members look terrified. And then- there's blood on his uniform, in the sky. The soul reapers scream, but there's no enemy in sight. His mind wonders, whose blood is this? But then he's paralyzed, he can't move, and he knows that something has gone terribly wrong. He doesn't want to die, but the only person he's ever really cared about is forever out of his reach. His mind is flooded with thoughts of violet eyes, and the last thing he hears are the screams of anguish on the battlefield.

**...x.**

"What happened! He's the 3rd seat! It was a minor hollow, why didn't he see it coming!"

"Please keep your voice down, Vice-captain Shiba. You are in a hospital. For now, the only thing you can do is wait."

The air was cold the next morning, and the trees were nearly stripped bare. Hisana walked carefully amongst the vendors, holding a scrap of paper with hastily scribbled instructions.

_6 bags of red beans. _

Six? She was sure that he had made a mistake. Their budget couldn't handle that many bags. She squinted at the paper, her eyes watering from the strong wind that blew that leaves around. She would buy 3, then. If he yells at me I'll blame his poor-

"HISANA!"

Her head jerked upwards at the sound of her name. Kaien was running towards her with Captain Ukitake hot on his heels. "Hisana!" He looked like he had just seen a ghost. He stopped in front of her, panting. "It's Byakuya." Her eyes widened at the sound of his name, and at the tone of his voice. He was frowning, his eyes filled with concern. "He… he was sent to the world of the living for a mission, but… A hollow attacked him." Time seemed to freeze. Fear invaded her mind, and she stared at him. She could tell by his expression that he wasn't joking this time…. "Is-Is he…" Hisana's expression was pleading. "He's injured, but I'm sure he'll recover. He's in the fourth squad hospital. " Captain Ukitake attempted at a forced smile. She looked downwards, hating herself for hurting him again.

"I understand. Thank you. "

She ran past them, dropping the shopping list, where it turned upside down in the wind and was gone.

Desperation lent her strength, and it was not long before she reached the tall white walls of the Sereitei. Jidanbo allowed her to pass, after seeing the despair in her eyes. She ran as fast as she could to the fourth squad hospital, and nearly ran into Captain Unohana. She looked at Hisana sympathetically, and, her voice gentle, said, "He's in room 108."

She paused to catch her breath and walked slowly to the room. She was afraid, but why? There's nothing he can do, because he's always followed the rules. When he gives up, when a century has passed, and even after that, she'll still love him.

She pushed open the door quietly. He was sleeping, the blankets tucked up to his chin. Her heart aches…. Every time. She sat down on the straight backed wooden chair beside his bed, and watched his chest rise and fall with every breath. They were too different. This was the last time she would ever see him, but after all this time, Hisana couldn't let go of her hope, her dreams. She never had anything else.

His eyes opened, and he whispered,

"Hisana...?"

She couldn't say anything. He wasn't going to give up. And the tears fell, painting clean stripes down her dusty cheeks. His eyes softened, and he whispered,

"_I love you."_


End file.
